Commentary: What’s in vapes? Toxins, heavy metals, maybe radioactive polonium
The process of heating e-liquids to create an inhalable aerosol also changes their chemical make-up to produce degradation products. These include, formaldehyde, a substance used to embalm dead bodies; acetaldehyde, a key substance that contributes to a hangover after drinking alcohol; and acrolein, used as a chemical weapon in the first world war and now used as a herbicide. These chemicals…